Brooklyn-based post-punk rock outfit Libel (Gavin Dunaway, Julie Rozansky, Nick Brzoza, Justin Gonzales) has existed in many forms with many different members, but always with the same purpose: to make music that convinces David Bowie he should acknowledge the band. Kidding (sort of). In reality, this band, in its multiple forms, has been churning out ear-grabbing EP after ear-grabbing EP since 2009, including The Prolonged Insult, No Regrets for Our Youth, and Lost Along the Way.
This most recent form of Libel has now dropped their most significant work to date, a collection we can’t wait to tell you more about titled Music for Car Commercials. Dunaway couldn’t wait to tell us more about it: “I think we pair heavy, 90s-style guitar rock with glam (think Bowie, Bolan or Suede’s Brett Anderson) vocal stylings…Music For Car Commercials is a recognition and a lament that commercial licensing is the best way for writers of original music to make money. The irony is it’s hard to imagine any of these songs being used to sell an automobile…but, you never know.” Sample some tunes off the new record at http://libeltheband.com/ and keep an eye out for an upcoming show in your area (especially if you’re in NYC). There’s still so, so much more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQs below.
XXQs: Libel
PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out over others in your genre?
Gavin Dunaway (GD): The ultimate existential question for a musician: How would you describe your sound? Although it seems like many artists now start with a specific sub-genre in mind - ”We’re starting a shoegaze band; we’re going for that beach pop sound” - that’s not a bad marketing position, as it’s easier to get critical attention. You fit conveniently into a narrative, you have easy reference points – ones you can even point to in your one-sheet. Music writers are flooded with submissions from publicists, labels and even artists themselves – sorting through the mess is a bear, so when you’re trying to garner some page views for a site, why not feature a band that perfectly fits into the genre the kids are clicking on? Everyone just wants to hear more of the same anyway, right?
As for Libel, I think we pair heavy, 90s-style guitar rock with glam (think Bowie, Bolan or Suede’s Brett Anderson) vocal stylings. I have no idea who you would consider our peers, which makes marketing a real bitch.
PEV: Some of you grew up in the Washington, DC area – what kind of music were you all into growing up? Do you remember your first concert?
GD: Bass player Julie and I hail from the DC area – me from Northern Virginia and she from Bethesda, Maryland. We used to play in rival bands. OK, it was a friendly rivalry, but there did seem to be a contest going about who could record the mathiest music possible. Weird time signatures? Check. Abrupt key changes? AW YEAH! Actually, I’ve tried to swing away from that overly-technical, prog-esque stuff with the newer Libel material. At a certain point you wonder, who are you trying to impress? With age I find I’m more interested in writing a good song than bragging, “Can you believe that time signature?”
I wish I could tell you my first show had some serious local cred like Nation of Ulysses at the old 9:30 or maybe Fugazi at Fort Reno, but I can remember being young and at my dad’s side as Steely Dan reeled through the hits. Julie says her first “real” concert was Smashing Pumpkins at USAir Arena in 1996, a concert that I also attended.
PEV: What was it like trying to break into the music scene in your hometown, when you first started out as a band? What was your first show like together as a band?
GD: At first it was pretty fun – young band playing every skeezy place it could find, dragging it’s crew of hard-partying friends along. It meant making friends with the veterans of the scene and playing the same stages where you had seen your heroes. And this was 2004, when everyone was still using MySpace, bitchy local bloggers were always looking to start flame wars and comment boards were full of bored, local musicians posting while at their day jobs about how the latest hyped bands were so derivative.
First show for Libel was at a cavernous DIY venue in Bushwick, Brooklyn called Vanishing Point (that was quickly closed by the cops) – the show was more an experiment than anything else, and while the crowd may have been thin, the results were rather pleasing. It was enough so that we kept pushing forward, although it wasn’t everyone’s top priority. However, things change with time…
PEV: What can fans expect from a live Libel show?
GD: Outrageous stage banter. Bleeding eardrums. High, high kicks. And yes, some face-melting guitar solos.
PEV: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you step on stage?
GD: “Why didn’t I go to the bathroom before the show?”
PEV: How has playing in Libel been different from working with other artists or projects in the past?
GD: With Libel, I play with talented, mature and technically proficient artists. In the past, I’ve worked with musicians. Those were dark times.
PEV: What is the underlining inspiration for your music? Where do you get your best ideas for songs?
GD: My underlining inspiration for making music is getting David Bowie to acknowledge me. DAVID? DAVID! I MADE THIS FOR YOU! DAVID!
Musically? The demo version of the song “Tomorrow’s Children” was originally called “Boardwalk” because I came up with the main riff while watching Boardwalk Empire. I love playing guitar and watching TV – I think it lets my subconscious take my fingers to interesting places. Lyrically, Music For Car Commercials is about the prison of the status quo, and deciding whether to resign yourself or keep swimming against the current.
PEV: Thinking back to when you first started out, do you ever look back on your career and think about your earlier days and how you’ve arrived where you are today?
GD: Yeah, it’s very surprising to me that I landed in Brooklyn. I thought I would avoid New York, but I have to admit I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather live. It’s like I’ve always been the caretaker.
PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about the members of Libel?
GD: If you say aloud the words tattooed on our inner thighs, the universe will implode.
PEV: Tell us about your latest release, Music for Car Commercials. What can fans expect from this release? What is the story behind the title?
GD: Music For Car Commercials is a recognition and a lament that commercial licensing is the best way for writers of original music to make money. The irony is it’s hard to imagine any of these songs being used to sell an automobile…but, you never know.
PEV: What is the feeling you get after an album like this is complete and you can sit back and listen to it in full?
GD: Actually, I haven’t listened to it yet. Don’t spoil it for me, but is it any good?
PEV: What is the feeling you get after a song is complete and you can sit back and listen to it being played the way you envisioned?
GD: A song is never complete! All of these will be reworked and re-recorded when my songwriting well runs dry and I still gotta sell. Thanks for being my mentor, Eric Clapton.
PEV: With all your traveling, is there one area you wish you could travel around and play that you have not yet?
GD: Actually, I feel like we should get to Toronto and Montreal – not just because I’m dying for some honest-to-God poutine, but also ‘cause the Canadians seem to dig us. Maybe they’ll let me declare musical asylum…
PEV: How have all your friends and family reacted to your career? What’s it like when you get to play in your hometown?
GD: When it comes to my career as the editor of a trade website, friends and family are astounded I was actually able to do something with that Bachelor’s in English. Playing the hometown is pretty fun – when my friends can find babysitters, we get great turnouts!
PEV: What can we find you doing in your spare time, aside from playing/writing music?
GD: I’m struggling to learn Italian so I can speak my wife’s native tongue. Also, I’m curious why my inlaws always refer to me as “testa di cazzo.”
PEV: Name one present and past artist or group that would be your dream collaboration. Why?
GD: Trent Reznor; talk about a remarkable career arc. To do just about anything with that man would be a dream come true. As for a deceased artist, gotta admit rolling with Marc Bolan would probably be a trip.
PEV: Is there an up and coming band or artist you think we should all be looking out for now?
GD: You don’t want to get me started – when it comes to Brooklyn bands, I’ll give loud shoutouts to my friends in The Planes, Crazy Pills, The Meaning of Life, Clouder, Maquina Supervium, Low Fat Getting High, The Black Black, Let’s Be Loveless, Quiet Loudly, pow wow!…Damn, we could go all night.
PEV: If playing music wasn’t your life (or life’s goal), what do you think each of you would be doing for a career?
GD: I probably would have finished my novel by now – so basically I’d be languishing in literary obscurity instead.
PEV: So, what is next for Libel?
GD: Icing my fingers ‘cause this required a lot of typing. Damn, man – I gotta play guitar later.